Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey shared his thoughts on America&#8217;s 250th birthday in a recent social media post, saying that the genius of the United States was in the journey, not the destination.
The &#8220;True Detective&#8221; star shared a post on X on Friday, saying that the United States was not about being the &#8220;perfect union,&#8221; but rather about always striving to be a better one. The magic, he said, was not in the fact that America had &#8220;arrived anywhere,&#8221; but should celebrate the fact that &#8220;we&#8217;re still on our way&#8221; to being a little bit better, a little bit brighter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
bets still on the table America, yet. <a href="https://t.co/Ap5Cw3EKRV">pic.twitter.com/Ap5Cw3EKRV</a>
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) <a href="https://x.com/McConaughey/status/2073013891937034425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Two hundred and fifty years young! Howdy, America,&#8221; McConaughey said, looking straight at the camera. &#8220;To a lot of people, that may seem like a long time to be a country but it&#8217;s really not. But I&#8217;ll tell you what it&#8217;s definitely not too long to be — it&#8217;s not too long to be an idea, which is what America is. A land that has never been — yet.&#8221;
&#8220;And that &#8216;yet&#8217; that we&#8217;re seeking and chasing, that&#8217;s the whole thing,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s a place we&#8217;re never going to arrive at. And that&#8217;s not failure because we won&#8217;t, that&#8217;s by design. Think about it, we didn&#8217;t start this country on any kind of proof. We started it on a belief that was worth fighting for, a wager that was worth betting on. An act of faith that a self-governing people could be something worth being and becoming.&#8221;
Mcconaughey said that if America had learned anything in that 250 years, it was that the bet was still on the table — because the bet was designed to always be on the table: &#8220;We have not cashed in, and let&#8217;s hope we never cash in.&#8221;
Drawing a line between skeptics and cynics, he argued that the former would drive progress while the latter had already given up: &#8220;One cares enough to question, which we should, and the other one&#8217;s already quit. We don&#8217;t need you.&#8221;
The &#8220;best&#8221; of America, he added, was in those who had delivered 250 years of &#8220;showing up&#8221;: 250 years of &#8220;arguing, loving, losing, forgiving, starting over, believing in who we are and what we can be — that&#8217;s the &#8216;yet&#8217; we&#8217;re chasing.&#8221;
&#8220;So, here we are today lighting the fire, breaking the bread, raising a glass to our family and friends, and maybe even the neighbor we don&#8217;t agree with. Today, we&#8217;re going to let the kids run barefoot after dark, baby. That&#8217;s the celebration,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Not that we&#8217;ve arrived anywhere, but to the fact we&#8217;re still on our way. Take inventory, with the one in the mirror and together. Here&#8217;s to more dancing in the home of the brave. Happy 250th, America. Just keep living.&#8221;

Matthew McConaughey Opens Wilderness Cabin In Sydney, Australia

Matthew McConaughey: America At 250 Is A Bet That’s ‘Still On The Table’

Matthew McConaughey: America At 250 Is A Bet That's 'Still On The Table'

America 250

Fourth of July

Matthew McConaughey

United States

President Donald Trump touted the record-breaking fireworks display prepared for Saturday&#8217;s festivities celebrating America&#8217;s 250th birthday on the National Mall.
&#8220;Best fireworks show, EVER! President DJT,&#8221; he posted via his Truth Social platform after the last of the munitions had been spent.
The 40-minute display included more than 850,000 individual fireworks, breaking the Guiness World Record for the largest fireworks display on record. American military service members provided the soundtrack for the massive spectacle, singing hits like Chicago&#8217;s &#8220;25 or 6 to 4,&#8221; Journey&#8217;s &#8220;Don&#8217;t Stop Believin&#8217;,&#8221; Bon Jovi&#8217;s &#8220;Livin&#8217; on a Prayer,&#8221; the Village People&#8217;s &#8220;Y.M.C.A.,&#8221;  Toby Keith&#8217;s &#8220;Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),&#8221; and Neil Diamond&#8217;s &#8220;Sweet Caroline.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The largest firework show in U.S. history for America’s 250th birthday!!! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/Id0oyS8uLN">pic.twitter.com/Id0oyS8uLN</a>
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://x.com/MargoMartin47/status/2073629242013737274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BOOM! THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA IS ALIVE AND WELL!
Washington DC and President Trump just BROKE THE RECORD for most fireworks EVER, and cities nationwide launched their own celebrations on America 250
After weather evacuations, patriots BROKE OUT into Star Spangled Banner before… <a href="https://t.co/MnqtfylDG4">pic.twitter.com/MnqtfylDG4</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2073747253252993264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The 250 fireworks finale! <a href="https://t.co/qbgkLDhHFr">pic.twitter.com/qbgkLDhHFr</a>
— Beverly Hallberg (@BeverlyHallberg) <a href="https://x.com/BeverlyHallberg/status/2073630024586932306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The entire National Mall fireworks show in about a minute, seen from the webcam at the top of the Washington Monument starting with the B1 Lancer flyover. <a href="https://t.co/BY0AlLawBl">pic.twitter.com/BY0AlLawBl</a>
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) <a href="https://x.com/aletweetsnews/status/2073632498760749119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
World War II veterans who were honored during President Trump&#8217;s remarks watched the incredible display from their memorial.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They left home as boys 8 decades ago to go out and save the world. Last night they sat at the WWII Memorial together and celebrated their country&#8217;s 250th. Still heroic. <a href="https://t.co/RXnOmtMVj7">pic.twitter.com/RXnOmtMVj7</a>
— Jerry Thornton (@jerrythornton) <a href="https://x.com/jerrythornton/status/2073740039574474823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Throughout the evening, the fireworks and other program events competed with uncooperative weather, as a large thunderstorm blew through the nation&#8217;s capital and even forced a delay in the president&#8217;s remarks.
Lightning lit up the sky behind the Washington Monument as the crowd joined in singing &#8220;Sweet Caroline.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HOLY SH*T:
I just caught the moment lighting strikes near the Washington Monument as &#8220;Sweet Caroline&#8221; plays during the Freedom 250 fireworks in Washington D.C.
God bless America. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/5Q92TgBGST">pic.twitter.com/5Q92TgBGST</a>
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) <a href="https://x.com/EvanAKilgore/status/2073628449533468718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lightning photobombs DC&#8217;s fireworks show.
Remarkable images shared with us by Russell Moy. <a href="https://t.co/fJhYtuYDfk">pic.twitter.com/fJhYtuYDfk</a>
— Capital Weather (@capitalweather) <a href="https://x.com/capitalweather/status/2073765107562135955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Watch: Dramatic lightning strike during DC&#8217;s fireworks Saturday night.
While lightning appears to strike Washington Monument, the bolt actually is behind it.
Video by <a href="https://x.com/AlyssaNegvesky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlyssaNegvesky</a> <a href="https://t.co/oTVxARQ4oK">pic.twitter.com/oTVxARQ4oK</a>
— Capital Weather (@capitalweather) <a href="https://x.com/capitalweather/status/2073746243860246790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Photo of the night contender from angela n. Stunning shot!!
More lightning + fireworks photos compiled on the site or at the Capital Weather app. <a href="https://t.co/bgPFCIQxOH">pic.twitter.com/bgPFCIQxOH</a>
— Capital Weather (@capitalweather) <a href="https://x.com/capitalweather/status/2073780201260003355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Despite the weather, well over 100,000 spectators gathered on the National Mall to witness the display — and cities all across the United States joined in with their own celebrations.

Local Weather U.S.

Trump Raves About Record-Setting Fireworks Display For America 250

Donald Trump

Fireworks

Washington D.C.

President Donald Trump made it clear in his Saturday remarks that he was all in on America as he touted American veterans and trashed communism on the nation&#8217;s 250th birthday.
Hailing the United States as &#8220;the hope, the promise, the light, and the glory among all of the nations of the world,&#8221; Trump called on Americans to be proud of their rich heritage and to defend that vision in the years to come.
Trump spoke late on Saturday night to a massive crowd after thunderstorms forced a delay, saying that the United States had always been — and would always be — the shining example of freedom that others looked to: &#8220;They try and be like us. Nobody can be like us&#8221; &#8230; &#8220;with God&#8217;s help, we can always be this or even better.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://x.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;For 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light, and the glory among all of the nations of the world&#8230; with God&#8217;s help, we can always be this or even better&#8230; Here on our National Mall, we&#8217;re celebrating Freedom&#8217;s triumph over… <a href="https://t.co/XbJbC7A9l4">pic.twitter.com/XbJbC7A9l4</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2073609692304097395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump proceeded to honor the veterans who served the country over the past 250 years, showing a number of different American flags that flew over different battles throughout the nation&#8217;s history.
He went on to blast communism and those who are trying to bring it to the United States, declaring that the U.S. will never be a communist country.
&#8220;Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world, only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America. We’re not going to let it happen. All these talks from the communists, they haven’t got a chance &#8230; We don’t want communists in our country. Never worked, and it never will work.&#8221;
&#8220;We like to stop a threat like that immediately,&#8221; he argued, adding that communism was &#8220;like a cancer. You got to cut it out, you got to cut it out fast.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://x.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> recognizes Korean War veterans Cpl. Patrick Finn, and PFC Rudy Meekins, who fought bravely at the Chosin Reservoir while greatly outnumbered by Communist forces.
&#8220;America will NEVER be a Communist country.&#8221; 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/zpZCqvrW7V">pic.twitter.com/zpZCqvrW7V</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2073618602901541200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We have thrived and flourished because our founders were great, our cause was just, our people are brave, our culture is exceptional, and our destiny is written by God. After 250 years, the Spirit of 1776 still lives within us all,&#8221; he concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://x.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: The world has seen the great empires, vast kingdoms, mighty nations, and terrible tyrants — they came and they went. But after two-and-a-half centuries, this American Republic still stands tall and strong.
This American Flag still waves proud and free and beautiful.
We… <a href="https://t.co/zeSLBND26D">pic.twitter.com/zeSLBND26D</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2073621091998683250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump Seeks To Put Himself Center Stage For US Independence Day

Trump Goes All In On America In 250th Birthday Speech: ‘Our Destiny Is Written By God!’

Trump Goes All In On America In 250th Birthday Speech: 'Our Destiny Is Written By God!'

Communism

When we talk about the Founding Fathers, we’re usually just talking about the Big Five: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.
Of course, these men deserve our veneration. But Jefferson, Madison, and Washington are synonymous with the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and presidency, respectively. Adams and Hamilton both have award-winning Broadway musicals and popular 20th century biographies that keep them top of mind.
But what of the other Founders, the men who thought, fought, and wrote this country into existence? In honor of America’s 250th birthday, The Daily Wire asked lawmakers, writers, and historians to draft a new Founding Father starting lineup. The only rule: they couldn’t choose one of the Big Five. Here are their picks.
<h3>Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives</h3>
Frederick Muhlenberg was elected to serve as the very first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives by the First Congress in 1789, and was the first signer of the Bill of Rights. An ordained Lutheran minister, Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress, and former 3rd Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, he was well prepared to accept the great privilege and challenge of leading and establishing a brand new institution.
Shepherding our great deliberative body through its formative days was no small task and required tremendous vision, skill, and patience. Muhlenberg was up to the task, and effectively crafted the rules, procedures, and protocols of Congress while actively serving in it. Because he and his colleagues had to travel treacherous or nonexistent roads on horseback, he was forced to delay the first meeting of Congress by a month until a quorum was reached. In August 1789, he cast the deciding vote for the location of the nation&#8217;s new capital.
While the speakership has changed considerably since Muhlenberg wielded the gavel, his efforts to construct a Congress capable of governing itself, debating openly, and exercising a check on the other branches of government were essential. As we celebrate America’s 250th, we do well to remember the wisdom and invaluable contributions of our founders and the unsung heroes who set our nation on its course to become the greatest in history.
<h3>Ben Shapiro, editor emeritus, The Daily Wire</h3>
Robert Morris was the greatest entrepreneur of the Founding generation. He bet his entire fortune — the largest in the country — on the riskiest startup the world has ever seen: the United States of America itself. Morris lived out the saying “freedom isn’t free”: you can proclaim your self-evident truths, but if you can’t pay your army, the British win.
Morris had every reason in the world to sit the Revolution out, hedge his bets, and stay rich. Instead, he became one of only two men to sign the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Morris risked it all because he understood the American experiment was worth more than his own fortune, or even his own life. That’s not a businessman’s calculation. That’s closer to love than anything else.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-mini-doc-robert-morris?utm_campaign=founding&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=iterable&amp;utm_content=email_blast_creative00098_na">WATCH: BEN SHAPIRO ON ROBERT MORRIS</a></h4>
<h3>Dr. Ben Carson, president, American Cornerstone Institute</h3>
George Mason doesn’t come off the bench; he’s a starter. Mason’s thinking about liberty and the best way to structure government had an outsized impact on the Founding. To take just one example, the Virginia Declaration of Rights might be the most important but least appreciated document from the time. Too few Americans have even heard of that document. If you have never read it, take a minute and do it now; you’ll see that it was basically the first draft of both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. True, Mason did not support the Constitution, but his objections to the Constitution — based on concern about too powerful a federal government — seem prescient given how much power Washington has aggregated for itself. George Mason isn’t the B-team; he should be talked about in the same breath as the other giants of the Founding.
<h3>Dr. Larry P. Arnn, president, Hillsdale College</h3>
You could no more put together an alternative starting five for the American Founding than you could for the 1991 championship Chicago Bulls. But if asked what secondary founders deserve attention, Benjamin Rush and Robert Morris come to mind. Rush, a Philadelphia physician, was a leading opponent of slavery and a great advocate of education in addition to being an ardent revolutionary. Morris, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, took on the impossible job of Superintendent of Finance during the Revolution and played a critical role in getting arms to American troops in the field. But these men themselves recognized the superiority of those on the starting team. Rush said of Washington, “There is not a king in Europe that would not look like a valet de chambre by his side.” Morris, when asked by Washington to serve as the country’s first treasury secretary, declined and recommended Hamilton.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/could-donald-trump-finally-dismantle-the-deep-state-ronald-pestritto-thinks-so">READ MORE: HILLSDALE PROFESSOR EXPLAINS HOW DONALD TRUMP COULD KILL THE DEEP STATE</a></h4>
<h3>Daniel McCarthy, distinguished fellow in conservative thought at the Heritage Foundation</h3>
No one can replace the greatest of our Founding Fathers, but if we lost all record of them tomorrow, we might try to approximate the effect of their ideas and sensibilities in combination by looking to James Otis and Samuel Adams in place of Jefferson; Robert Morris, who was Washington’s first choice for Treasury secretary, in place of Hamilton; Roger Sherman, a wise constitutionalist, in Madison’s or John Adams’s stead; and James Wilson instead of Benjamin Franklin to supply some Pennsylvania principle. No one can compare to Washington, but John Marshall might occupy the place of a great Virginian profoundly committed to the Union. These less appreciated figures would give us a strong sense of our founding, though they would also remind us of what we were missing without the most renowned names available.
<h3>Richard Brookhiser, author, The Hero Returns: Lafayette and the Legacy of Revolution</h3>
For all the brilliance of the founders, not many of them understood economics. Tench Coxe, a Philadelphia merchant, did. He assembled facts and figures for Alexander Hamilton&#8217;s “Report on Manufactures,” and might have filled his shoes had Hamilton not existed. He later became a supporter of Thomas Jefferson, so he was also adroit politically. Nathanael Greene was also widely acknowledged for his military brilliance, losing every battle he fought against Cornwallis in the Carolinas yet driving him to Virginia and ultimate defeat at Yorktown. Georgia awarded Greene a plantation for his services, where he died of heat stroke after the war. Had he lived he might have made an excellent Secretary of War.
<h3>Troy Senik, author, A Man Of Iron: The Turbulent Life And Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland</h3>
Because he didn&#8217;t sign the Declaration of Independence, John Dickinson is always portrayed as a coward, the jittery man blind to the glory of the moment. The irony is that he walked into the Second Continental Congress arguably the most prominent advocate for colonial rights in America.
Dickinson did not oppose independence. He opposed declaring it before the preconditions for sustaining it were in place. No foreign alliance had been secured. The Articles of Confederation were nowhere near complete. The military situation was uncertain at best. His argument was methodical, not ideological: do these things first, then declare.
What happened next proved him right about virtually everything save the final outcome. The country barely survived the early days of the war, and only through a sequence of events so improbable that it would have been folly to plan for them. Had things gone south, Dickinson would have been remembered as Cassandra. Instead, he became a footnote in a story he helped write.
John Dickinson knew he was destroying his reputation by resisting the rush to declare independence. But he did so anyway because he believed the country&#8217;s long-term survival mattered more than the passions of the moment. It&#8217;s a sober patriotism to ask the questions nobody wants to hear rather than to give the hosannahs that everyone expects. Dickinson asked those questions, was overruled, and was later proven right. What had he done in the interim? Put on a uniform and fought for the cause anyway.
We could use more cowards like that.
<h3>Brian Anderson, editor-in-chief, City Journal</h3>
That’s easy: If Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and Hamilton were unavailable, my first draft pick would be James Wilson. One of the Constitution’s principal architects but now less well-known than the Big Five, Wilson argued that America’s liberties rest on more than individual rights; they also grow out of a moral order discoverable through reason and grounded in natural law.
Big themes: Rights and duties are inseparable, liberty means self-government rather than license, and political authority flows directly from the people because all persons are naturally equal before that higher law. Wilson offers a distinctly American synthesis of natural rights, civic responsibility, and constitutional self-government that in my view deserves renewed attention.
<h3>Ryan Williams, president, the Claremont Institute</h3>
John Quincy Adams was only 11 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed, but he would go on to a long career as senator, Secretary of State, Minister to Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia, and finally, president. After Washington’s peerless inaugural example, JQA remains, to this day, the greatest foreign policy strategist and diplomat of American history. For a continued restoration of a truly America First foreign policy, all roads lead through JQA.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-editor-of-the-most-popular-edition-of-the-federalist-thinks-its-more-important-than-ever">READ MORE: THE CLAREMONT INSTITUTE&#8217;S CHARLES KESLER ON WHY THE FEDERALIST PAPERS MATTER</a></h4>
<h3>Daniel Gullotta, assistant professor at the Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society</h3>
While I&#8217;m sad most people don&#8217;t know who Gouverneur Morris is, it&#8217;s a lot of fun telling people who he was. Just mentioning he had a peg leg usually gets people&#8217;s attention. But his role in the Constitution, crafting the opening &#8220;We the People,&#8221; is something people should know just as commonly as they know Jefferson was the drafter of the Declaration. He was also arguably the most anti-slavery Founding Father (just read some of his speeches during the compromise debates). He also refused to leave France during the Reign of Terror while serving as our minister, despite the danger. Then there&#8217;s the crazy way he died, trying to clear a urinary blockage with a piece of whalebone from his wife&#8217;s corset. I know everyone says this person or that person needs a movie or miniseries, but come on, there&#8217;s just no part of his life that isn&#8217;t compelling.
<h3>Mark Helprin, author, “Elegy In Blue”</h3>
We&#8217;re sorely in need of Benjamin Franklin, maybe a few dozen of him, to correct the abysmal ignorance and inexperience of today&#8217;s &#8220;Yutes,&#8221; who know virtually nothing and yet are powered by the energy of the young and destined to run the zoo. And it is a zoo. Franklin made use of his long experience and inherent brilliance to take under his wing Adams, Jefferson, and a lot of others, guiding them with practical and long-lasting results. Maybe I say this about the younger generations because I&#8217;m in my 80th year and am falling prey to chasing them off the lawn. But, really, they can hardly speak English, the girls&#8217; speech sounds like frying eggs, and they know so little that they buzz around communism and fascism like moths around a flame. You know what happens with moths and flames.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-turned-the-royals-into-a-joke-his-take-on-america-is-anything-but?trueLinkId=75JIYEMEAhD1KHqlEouqVfPC%2Fc5LDaS1niXzcEeobct2bv%2FJcUHC%2BLs8PvnWg1HDBGj%2FUEf2tfG%2B%2BQqbHoPtag%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1782577908&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">READ MORE: A CONVERSATION WITH MARK HELPRIN, AMERICA&#8217;S GREATEST LIVING WRITER.</a></h4>
<h3>Brenda Hafera, Assistant Director and Research Fellow, B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies</h3>
Mercy Otis Warren was an exceptional woman who contributed to the founding of an exceptional nation. A staunch republican, she depicted the happenings in her native Boston through plays and poems intended to drum up support for the patriot cause. The list of her correspondence was a &#8220;Who&#8217;s Who&#8221; of the Founding generation, including John and Abigail Adams, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, enabling her to write the only Anti-Federalist account of the War of Independence. That opus, along with her thoughtful and uncompromising defense of the importance of morals and manners, justly earned her the designation, &#8220;The Conscience of the American Revolution.&#8221;
<h3>Anastasia Boden, Director of Constitutional Scholarship at Pacific Legal Foundation and the host of the In Dissent podcast</h3>
James Wilson has largely been forgotten. He deserves better. Wilson&#8217;s argument that the people, not the government, are sovereign justified not only rejecting Parliament&#8217;s taxes but breaking with Britain altogether. A Scottish immigrant steeped in the Scottish Enlightenment, Wilson helped popularize the radical idea that the people — not kings or Parliament — are the ultimate source of political authority and are fully capable of governing themselves. Wilson also played a leading role in shaping <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-can-sue-the-government-right/id1896779544?i=1000772988868">Article II of the Constitution</a>, strengthening the presidency with the counterintuitive goal of protecting liberty. In an era of debates over democracy, federal power, and constitutional government, few Founders have more to teach us.
<h3>James Patterson, author, “Why Postliberalism Failed”</h3>
The Founders we admire today were stark personalities and prolific writers, men who overshadowed impressive figures we tend to forget. One is John Witherspoon, the only member of clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence and teacher to James Madison, who gave both a religious and intellectual heft to the Revolutionary cause. As a Catholic, I have to recommend Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence, a major financier of the Revolution, and a fierce advocate for republican politics and religious liberty. And then there’s Roger Sherman, who was something of an unsung workhorse from the start of the Revolution through the early Republic years. He opposed slavery, and he was the chief author of the Connecticut Compromise that gave us the bicameral Congress we have today.

Untitled design – 2026-07-02T135605.449

14 Lawmakers, Writers, And Historians Pick Their Favorite Forgotten Founding Fathers

Constitution

Declaration of Independence

Founding Fathers

Heritage Foundation

Hillsdale College

Mike Johnson

Scott Bessent

Ted Cruz

On October 28, 1886, then-President Grover Cleveland spoke at the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
&#8220;The people of the United States accept with gratitude from their brethren of the French Republic the grand and completed work of art we here inaugurate,&#8221; Cleveland <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-the-unveiling-the-statue-liberty-new-york-city">began</a>:
<blockquote>This token of the affection and consideration of the people of France demonstrates the kinship of republics, and conveys to us the assurance that in our efforts to commend to mankind the excellence of a government resting upon popular will, we still have beyond the American continent, a steadfast ally.</blockquote>
Cleveland, the only president other than President Donald Trump to serve two non-consecutive terms in the White House, went on to talk about the statue itself and what it represented:
<blockquote>We are not here to day to bow before the representation of a fierce and warlike god, filled with wrath and vengeance, but we joyously contemplate instead, our own deity keeping watch and ward before the open gates of America, and greater than all that have been celebrated in ancient song. Instead of grasping in her hand thunderbolts of terror and of death, she holds aloft the light which illumines the way to man&#8217;s enfranchisement.
We will not forget that liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected. Willing votaries will constantly keep alive its fires, and these shall gleam upon the shores of our sister republic in the East. Reflected thence and joined with answering rays, a stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man&#8217;s oppression, until liberty enlightens the world.</blockquote>
The massive copper structure, designed by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustav Eiffel, had been promised more than 20 years earlier in 1865 — as a gift celebrating the abolition of slavery, the end of the American Civil War, and the centennial celebrations of 1876.
Bartholdi began work on the statue in 1875, and it was officially presented to U.S. Minister to France Levi P. Morton nine years later, on July 4, 1884. It was not until late 1886 that it was finally delivered, assembled, and unveiled at its permanent home on Liberty Island.
On July 3, 1986 — 100 years after the statue was first revealed — then-President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech rededicating the statue and celebrating the lighting of Lady Liberty&#8217;s torch.
<blockquote>We are the keepers of the flame of liberty. We hold it high tonight for the world to see, a beacon of hope, a light unto the nations. And so with joy and celebration and with a prayer that this lamp shall never be extinguished, I ask that you all join me in this symbolic act of faith, this lighting of Miss Liberty&#8217;s torch.</blockquote>

Grover Cleveland, 1837-1908, 22nd and 24th President of the United States 1885_89 and 1893_97, Head and Shoulders Portrait at Home, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, Photograph by New York Herald Company, 1908

READ IT: Grover Cleveland’s Speech The Day Lady Liberty Was Dedicated

READ IT: Grover Cleveland’s Speech The Day Lady Liberty Was Inaugurated

New York City

Statue of Liberty

Public safety agencies across the United States will deploy drones to spot illegal fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations, thanks to new federal rules that accelerated drone-based enforcement.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) loosened regulations, allowing cities and counties to launch Drone as First Responder (DFR) initiatives more quickly by cutting bureaucratic red tape. That change led to an increase in the number of policing organizations implementing DFR programs, jumping from 50 to an estimated 1,500 nationwide. The rapid expansion reflects how drone-based enforcement has become a national trend, not only for monitoring illegal fireworks but also for emergency response, crowd management, and search-and-rescue operations.
While some cities have used drones to monitor fireworks for years, this is the first July 4th holiday where aerial enforcement is widespread.
California has been one of the most aggressive adopters, largely because of the extreme risk of wildfires and the prevalence of illegal pyrotechnics. Several cities, including San Jose, Sacramento, and Riverside, are deploying aerial enforcement units specifically to monitor fireworks this holiday weekend. Other western states with similar wildfire risks, including Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, have also adopted unmanned aircraft operations teams. First responders say drones help them detect and respond to fires quickly, especially in wooded areas and during the dry summer months.
The Wheat Ridge Police Department in Colorado has relied on drones to monitor illegal fireworks since 2024, and the Riverside Police Department began using them last year. The drones can capture footage to be used for citations and prosecutions, according to a spokesman.
“This has been a spectacular tool for us to identify those who obviously make the decision to not follow the rules and be unsafe,” Det. Steven Espinosa, public information officer for the Riverside PD, told the Los Angeles Times.
The growing use of DFR programs has raised some privacy concerns, but law enforcement says the technology is deployed only in response to specific calls, not for general surveillance. With thousands of law enforcement agencies now equipped with drones, this year’s Fourth of July could mark a turning point in how cities enforce fireworks laws and how Americans celebrate the holiday.

GettyImages-1241718780

This Fourth of July, The Sky May Be Watching Back

4th of July

Crime

Drones

Police

U.S.

Wildfires

A Somali flag that Buffalo, New York, city officials raised in Niagara Square earlier this week to celebrate the foreign country&#8217;s independence was cut down in the dead of night on Wednesday. The flag robbery took place one day after city officials canceled Buffalo&#8217;s Fourth of July fireworks celebration.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said &#8220;unknown vandals&#8221; removed the Somali flag at some point late on Wednesday night, <a href="https://www.btpm.org/local/2026-07-02/somali-flag-cut-down-and-stolen-from-niagara-square-amid-city-fireworks-outrage">according</a> to Buffalo-Toronto Public Media. Ryan added that the Buffalo Police Department is investigating the incident. The Somali flag has been raised in Niagara Square for the past four years on July 1 to celebrate Somali Independence Day.
“Buffalo is a proud, diverse city, and our administration remains committed to honoring and celebrating the many cultures that make our community stronger,” Ryan added.
The Somali flag-raising has stirred controversy in the city, especially since it falls so close to the Fourth of July and the celebration of America&#8217;s 250th anniversary. As they raised the Somali flag in the city square, Buffalo city officials were also blasted for scrapping the Fourth of July fireworks celebration.
&#8220;City Hall canceled its downtown fireworks display, leaving Buffalo as one of the only cities in Western New York without a public Fourth of July celebration, and instead raised the flag of Somalia outside City Hall,&#8221; Erie County, New York, GOP Chairman Michael Kracker said. &#8220;No one is questioning the contributions of Buffalo&#8217;s immigrant communities. But this week belongs to all of us, as Americans.&#8221;
Mayor Ryan announced in early June that the city planned to revive its patriotic fireworks display for America&#8217;s 250th birthday. Buffalo hasn&#8217;t put on a Fourth of July fireworks show in decades as the city focuses on a big New Year&#8217;s Eve fireworks display. This week, however, Ryan said the patriotic show wouldn&#8217;t take place.
&#8220;After exploring potential locations, an appropriate site could not be identified that would provide a safe and widely accessible viewing experience for residents. As a result, the City will not be hosting a downtown fireworks display this year,&#8221; he said.
Buffalo isn&#8217;t the only American city to raise the Somali flag on government property to celebrate the foreign country. Columbus, Ohio, which is home to the second-largest concentration of Somalis in the United States, also announced that it would hoist the Somali flag on July 1, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/on-americas-250th-red-states-capital-city-flies-somali-flag?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=On+America%E2%80%99s+250th%2C+Red+State%E2%80%99s+Capital+City+Celebrates%E2%80%A6+Somalia">reported</a>.
The Columbus Parks and Rec Department deleted the post announcing the Somali flag raising moments after The Daily Wire asked about it.

Somali Flag Buffalo

Patriots Rip Down Somali Flag In American City Square After Officials Cancel July 4 Fireworks

Buffalo

New York

Somalia

President Donald Trump&#8217;s promise to host the largest Independence Day fireworks display in American history has apparently sparked a new concern from the legacy media: fireworks smoke.
Just days before Americans gather in the nation&#8217;s capital to celebrate the country&#8217;s 250th anniversary festivities, The Washington Post published a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/07/01/july-fourth-fireworks-likely-cause-hazardous-air-pollution-documents-show/">report</a> warning that the massive pyrotechnic display planned for July 4 could create &#8220;hazardous levels of pollution&#8221; and &#8220;very unhealthy&#8221; air quality around the National Mall.
The newspaper cited internal National Park Service documents projecting elevated levels of fine particulate matter — known as PM2.5 — for several hours after the approximately 40-minute fireworks show concludes.
The Post focused primarily on the smoke the display is expected to generate. According to the outlet, draft National Park Service modeling predicts particulate matter concentrations between 600 and 1,200 micrograms per cubic meter in the most likely scenario, with a worst-case projection exceeding 2,000 micrograms depending on weather conditions.
The paper reported that attendees should &#8220;avoid prolonged exposure&#8221; to the smoke and highlighted recommendations that people wear N95 masks outdoors and remain indoors as much as possible during and after the fireworks show.
Yet buried within the report is an admission that undercuts much of its alarm. The Post acknowledges that projected pollution levels of up to 1,200 micrograms per cubic meter &#8220;match what have been recorded with other fireworks events.&#8221;
In other words, the National Park Service&#8217;s own projections indicate the expected pollution levels are consistent with what has previously been measured during large fireworks displays, even as the newspaper frames this year&#8217;s celebration as a significant public health concern.
The Washington Post article also quotes New York University professor George Thurston, who recommended that people use &#8220;the precautionary principle&#8221; by minimizing exposure and suggested that &#8220;an N95 mask would be a good idea.&#8221;
The celebration, dubbed &#8220;Salute to America,&#8221; is expected to feature roughly 850,000 fireworks launched from multiple locations around Washington, D.C., alongside military flyovers, live musical performances, and remarks from President Trump. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has described the display as a &#8220;must-see event,&#8221; while Trump has touted it as the largest fireworks show in American history.
&#8220;The Fourth of July Airshow, over Washington, D.C., our Great Capital, will be the biggest, by far, in the History of the United States of America,&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week.
&#8220;Hundreds of Planes, of different types, sizes, and speeds, will be on display. &#8230; I will be speaking at approximately 9 P.M., preceding the Fireworks which again, like the Airshow, will be approximately ten times larger than any Fireworks in the History of our Country.&#8221;
The Post further highlighted internal agency guidance stating pollution could remain elevated for three to six hours after the show and even ventured into environmental justice concerns.
One internal Park Service document reportedly instructed staff to &#8220;not treat race, ethnicity, income, disability, age, or language as risks by themselves,&#8221; while noting that some predominantly black and lower-income neighborhoods are located near the fireworks sites.
The coverage was quickly echoed by <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/disturbing-reality-of-donald-trumps-huge-july-4-fireworks-display-exposed/">The Daily Beast</a>, which similarly warned readers that Trump&#8217;s fireworks show would create &#8220;hazardous levels of pollution&#8221; and emphasized recommendations for masks and limiting outdoor exposure.
The outlet also spotlighted concerns over summer heat and security restrictions surrounding the event while noting White House hopes for a large turnout after Trump&#8217;s kickoff rally for the America 250 celebration.
Trump, meanwhile, has encouraged Americans to attend what he has called an unprecedented patriotic celebration. &#8220;So, if you like Airplanes and Fireworks and President Trump, be there!&#8221; the president wrote.

Fireworks on the Fourth of July, Washington, D.C.

Washington Post Panics Over Trump’s July Fourth Fireworks: ‘Wear An N95 Mask’

Washington Post

As America gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, one leftist city reminded residents that sparklers are illegal and said anyone defying the ban should be reported to the authorities. 
City officials in Alexandria, Virginia, posted an announcement on Wednesday, declaring that it is illegal to set off fireworks or light sparklers within the city and asked for its residents to call authorities if they witnessed any illegal patriotic celebrations. Alexandria is located about 10 miles away from Mount Vernon, the home of President and General George Washington. 
“Fireworks are illegal in Alexandria, including sparklers. Report illegal fireworks by calling 311. Our show is next weekend,” the city posted on social media. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Fireworks are illegal in Alexandria, including sparklers. Report illegal fireworks by calling 311. Our show is next weekend. Join us for the City Birthday celebration on July 11 at Oronoco Bay Park. Free admission. More info at <a href="https://t.co/De5QV2xucz">https://t.co/De5QV2xucz</a>. <a href="https://t.co/QP6nEwynmS">pic.twitter.com/QP6nEwynmS</a>
— AlexandriaVAGov (@AlexandriaVAGov) <a href="https://x.com/AlexandriaVAGov/status/2072364388858695705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to the Alexandria Fire Department, it is even illegal to store fireworks or sparklers within the city limits. People caught with fireworks can be fined up to $2,500 and face up to a year in jail. 
“Fireworks are illegal in Alexandria. It is against the law to buy, sell, store, or use any fireworks inside the City, including sparklers and novelty items. This applies even if the fireworks were legal to buy in nearby counties or cities,” the fire department <a href="https://www.alexandriava.gov/news-afd/2026-06-29/alexandria-fire-department-reminds-community-that-fireworks-are-dangerous-and">posted</a> in May.  
The fire department claimed that sparklers “are not safe” and that “nearly half (46%) of people burned by fireworks last year were burned by a sparkler.” Other Democrat-run cities like Chicago and New York City also have sparkler bans in place. 
Conservative commentators reacted to the call to report illegal sparkler use with scorn. 
“Welcome to Virginia, where the government wants to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for rape, child pornography distribution, and armed robbery — but encourages neighbors to snitch on each other for ‘illegal sparklers’ on the 4th of July,” <a href="https://x.com/theisabelb/status/2072655258640167162">said</a> Daily Wire host Isabel Brown.
“In Alexandria, Virginia, they want you to rat out your neighbors for their fireworks but will fight to their last breath to protect illegal aliens,” said Republican consultant Tim Murtaugh.
Former Virginia Republican attorney general Jason Miyares said, &#8220;This is just flat Un-American.&#8221;
Alexandria is known for its far-Left politics with rainbow colored “Pride” crosswalks painted across the streets in the city’s historic Old Town section and officials&#8217; condemnation of federal immigration enforcement. 
Since Alexandria will not have its fireworks display until July 11, patriotic residents could cross over the Potomac River and attend President Donald Trump’s fireworks display on the Fourth, which he has said will be the “largest firework show in history.” 
America’s Founding Fathers wanted celebrations of the country’s independence to include fireworks, with John Adams once writing that independence should be commemorated with “bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”

Sparkles with lights and American flag on the background. July forth celebration. The Independence day backdrop. Minimalistic wallpaper with copy space

Leftist Enclave Asks Residents To Report ‘Illegal’ Sparkler Celebrations During America 250

Alexandria

Virginia

Residents in a Southern California neighborhood say their homeowners association is threatening to fine them unless they remove American flags displayed outside their homes, sparking outrage as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
Terri Collins and neighbors Amy and Chris Cooke, who live in San Marcos in San Diego County, said their HOA warned they could face a $100 fine if they continued flying American flags outside of their homes. 
“I’m not taking my flag down,” Terri said. “They can fine me, $100, $200, $1,000, I’m not paying it.”
Terri said she has flown the Stars and Stripes for 35 years and described the neighborhood as very patriotic because it is near the former Miramar Navy Air Station, the original home of the Navy&#8217;s TOPGUN school, adding, “all the Top Gun pilots lived here.”
The homeowners said the Ambiance Owners’ Association has enforced these rules ever since President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2024 election. According to the neighbors, several residents crumbled under pressure to take down their flags after receiving warning letters from the HOA. 
“Once the members allow use of a common property by an owner to express what is essentially a political or affiliative view in a flag, other owners will want to do the same and the common area will degrade,” a letter from the HOA board stated before the 2024 election. 
The HOA told homeowners they could display flags only in “exclusive use” areas, such as backyards, while front-facing common areas were off limits. The Cookes said their $100 fine stemmed from the size and placement of their flag. 
Congress passed the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/42">Freedom to Display the American Flag Act</a> in 2005, which generally prevents HOAs from banning residents from displaying the American flag while allowing restrictions on how it is displayed, including the size, placement, and type of flagpole. 
Michael Kushner, an HOA attorney from Aliso Viejo, said “the law is crystal clear,” adding that the HOA is “barking up the wrong tree.” 
“I would tell these people to stand firm and under no circumstances should they remove that flag,” he said. HOAs “count on the fact that homeowners don’t know better and might be scared.”
“We are outraged, if you want to fly your flag fly it, this is America,” Amy Cooke, a 62-year-old visitation supervisor for children, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/28/us-news/patriotic-californians-explode-at-hoas-crazy-anti-american-demand-ahead-of-fourth-of-july/">told</a> the California Post. “We are the land of the free and home of the brave, this is crazy.”
The Cookes said they have flown their flag for more than 20 years to honor Chris&#8217; grandfather, Alexander Christie, a Navy sailor who was killed aboard the USS Princeton during World War II while attempting to rescue fellow sailors in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Christie received the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross.
The Cookes secured a 15-minute Zoom call with the HOA board on Tuesday. If the board doesn’t back down, they said they plan to take legal action. 
“We’ve never sued anyone in our life. We’re just here to fly our flag and be left alone,” Chris said. “There’s enough division, we shouldn’t have to do this, but we don’t want to be pushed into submission.”
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton also responded to the HOA’s stance. 
&#8220;I hope everyone in that neighborhood not only ignores their HOA but doubles and trebles the number of American flags they display on this very special anniversary for our nation,” he said.
The Cookes and Terri are still planning to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, despite the dispute. 
“There’s a significant difference between some random flag for whatever you support and the American flag, the symbol of our country,” Amy said. “It’s not just a flag. It’s a symbol.”

Homeowners Outraged After HOA Demands American Flags Come Down

American Flag

California

Politics

Social Issues

Twenty-five years ago, it didn&#8217;t matter if you were red, white, blue, black, gold, or purple. On July Fourth, our nation&#8217;s birthday, Republicans and Democrats both showed up for the party.
Not anymore.
In 2026, we can&#8217;t agree on the color orange, whether water is wet, or what the American flag even stands for. And the polling proves it. Sixty-four percent of Republicans will display the American flag on July Fourth. Democrats? Twenty-seven percent.
Back in 2001 — before the towers fell, before the culture war went nuclear — Democrats and Republicans were nearly identical in how proud they were to call themselves Americans. Eighty-seven percent of the country, unified, coast to coast. Then came the decades of left-wing institutional rot, and here we are: 90% of Republicans say they are proud to be American. Democrats? 29%. That is a 61-point gap between two halves of a country that used to grill out together.
Absolutely pathetic.
The Left has always been a little less enthusiastic about American symbols, but this is more than dyspepsia; this is pure contempt. More Gen Z Democrats say they have little or no pride in being an American than say they are extremely or very proud. Think about that. The party of &#8220;our democracy&#8221; has produced a generation that actively dislikes the country more than they love it.
Instead of parties this July Fourth? They&#8217;ll be hosting off-key sing-alongs, mourning deported illegal aliens, and papering their doors with rainbow stickers. Old Glory won&#8217;t make an appearance.
Here&#8217;s why that matters.
That flag proudly wears thirteen stripes for the colonies that told a king to pound sand in 1776. Fifty stars for the states bound together under a Constitution that declared rights come from the Creator — not from government. It flew over Washington, crossing the Delaware in the snow. It inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem while British rockets lit up the night over Fort McHenry. It led the charge at Normandy and planted itself on the moon.
The stars and stripes don’t represent perfection. They represent the longest-running experiment in ordered liberty the world has ever seen.
The modern Left cannot rally around any of that. Their entire worldview requires them to see America as an original sin that can never be forgiven. Slavery existed here — just as it existed on every continent for thousands of years. The difference is that the principles in that flag gave Americans the moral and legal tools to end it. The Left&#8217;s preferred history — the 1619 Project revision pushed in classrooms and newsrooms — pretends those principles never existed. It teaches children that the country was founded on oppression rather than on the radical idea that all men are created equal.
The feature, ladies and gentlemen, never the bug.
The New Left that took over universities in the 1960s and 1970s did not want to reform America. It wanted to delegitimize it. Herbert Marcuse and the critical theory crowd taught a generation that Western civilization, and America in particular, was the source of all repression. Repressive tolerance became the rule: shut down any defense of the country as “hate,” while every grievance gets a platform. Decades later, the results are in the polling.
Democrats who went through that education system now look at the flag the way a vampire looks at garlic.
They&#8217;ve been trained to see every American success as stolen and every American failure as proof the whole thing is rotten, all while living in the country with the highest living standards, the strongest military, the freest speech, and the most opportunity any large nation has ever produced. The hypocrisy writes itself.
So let them sulk. Let them treat July Fourth like a national day of mourning.
The rest of us still believe in the country that produced the Wright brothers, the polio vaccine, the internet, and the men and women who stormed beaches to liberate continents. Republicans aren’t just holding the line. We are still building. Entrepreneurs are creating jobs instead of burning buildings. Mothers are raising children instead of raising fists at the system. Young men are enlisting or starting businesses instead of majoring in resentment.
The revolutionary spirit that won independence never left the Right. It just got busy winning in the real world.
The numbers keep dividing because one side loves what America is, and the other resents what it has achieved. That isn&#8217;t a disagreement over policy. That is a fundamental rejection of the country itself.
Democrats hate the flag. We don’t.
This July Fourth, fly it anyway. Fly it high. Fly it for the people who built this place and for the ones still trying to keep it worth defending. 
The Left can keep their grievance parade. The rest of us have a country to celebrate.

Medium size flags line a white fence

Democrats Hate The Flag That Leads The World. We Celebrate It.

All American Patriotism

Conservatism

DW Opinion

Leftists

Patriotism

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States would celebrate its 250th birthday with the “largest fireworks show of all time.” 
Trump said on Truth Social that he plans to host “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all” at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in the nation’s capital on July 4. The event, called a “Tribute to America” will feature military bands, military flyovers, and fireworks. 
Trump said that a variety of military bands would play patriotic classics in the “largest formation of Joint Military Music and Ceremonial performances in History” and a “playlist” selected by him as well. 
“Starting at 7 P.M. EST, this HUGE Celebration will honor our Country&#8217;s People, Spirit, Strength, Resolve, and Triumphs,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “With the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding the beautifully new Reflecting Pool, more than 300 Members of our strong and talented Military Bands, Orchestras, and Ceremonial Units, will perform Patriotic Melodies and American Classics, and my Playlist (We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!), as we celebrate our Country, and Rally into the next 250 years.”
Trump said the event would include an air show featuring “incredible flyovers” and said that he would give a speech.
“To conclude the program, and commemorate this Historic Occasion, I will be launching, what will be, the LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY, right here in our Nation&#8217;s Capital. Do not miss it,” Trump added. 
The president&#8217;s promise of a historic fireworks show appeared to follow the advice of Founding Father John Adams, who once said that America&#8217;s independence should be celebrated with &#8220;bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.&#8221;
In a separate post, Trump said that the kickoff for the summer of celebrating America’s 250th anniversary would take place on June 24 with music performed by the Army and Marine Corps military bands and Lee Greenwood. He said that Air Force fighter jets and stealth bombers would fly over for the ceremony taking place on the National Mall. 
“This Patriotic Tribute will take place on the Main Stage at the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair located on our Majestic National Mall, in what is now one of the safest Cities in the World, Washington D.C., which we are beautifying to levels never seen before,” Trump said. 
Trump’s announcement of the Fourth of July celebration comes after he hosted a UFC fight at the White House punctuated by a flyover by the Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds.

US-LIFESTYLES-FIREWORKS-holiday

Trump Teases Historic Fireworks Show For Nation’s 250th Birthday

Independence Day

Menu